1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to casket hardware and particularly to a slide latch assembly for a casket which is used to secure and seal the top of the casket to the bottom portion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Items of casket hardware generally include a slide latch assembly which is mounted in the bottom portion of the casket beneath the rim on the side opposite the hinge. The slide latch assembly receives apertured securing pins or escutcheons from the casket top and includes a slide bar having wedge-shaped securing portions which engage the apertures of the escutcheons to secure the top when the casket is closed. The slide latch assembly also includes a socket attachment for a crank which is used to move the slide bar and secure the casket top.
The conventional design of slide latch assemblies has included a top supporting base which was mounted beneath the rim of the casket bottom portion and a slide bar extending beneath the base and supported by a plurality of separate hangers or channel members which were fabricated of a sheet metal material and welded, brazed, or otherwise attached to the base. The slide bar had identical wedge-shaped securing portions each adapted to secure an escutcheon. In accordance with conventional design of slide latch assemblies adapted to receive two escutcheons, two channel members were provided, one at each end of the slide bar. Additional channel members were provided for longer slide latch assemblies adapted to receive four escutcheons. Each of the channel members comprised a piece of sheet metal material which was bent to form a restraining channel within which the slide bar was supported so that it was capable of longitudinal movement. The channel members were each positioned beneath the slide bar, and one or both ends of the channel member were then attached to the base. An additional support member was also provided for center crank assemblies at approximately the middle of the slide latch assembly to retain the central portion of the slide bar and to act as a means for mounting the socket attachment for the crank. The socket attachment was connected to a pinion which engaged a rack formed in the middle of the slide bar.
These conventional designs for slide latch assemblies thus comprised at least five separate pieces in addition to the crank attachment and gear. A base and a slide bar were separately formed and then at least three additional channel members were separately formed and subsequently attached to the base to form the finished assembly. The fabrication of the separate channel members and the subsequent assembly and attachment resulted in a slide latch assembly which was time-consuming and expensive to produce.
In addition, prior slide latch assemblies were sometimes difficult to engage, particularly on caskets having two separate top halves. It was often difficult to engage all of the escutcheons on both halves of the top. Each top half would have to be held down separately and the slide latch assemblies were designed so that all of the escutcheons were engaged at the same time. If the crank was located at one end of the casket, it was especially difficult to make sure that the escutcheons at the far end of the casket were engaged.